If you havent seen the new Carmina make-ups from Epaulet, check them out. They are incredible. A few members showed interest in a Carmina MTO and Mike said it was very doable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epaulet

Yes, we can absolutely do this with Carmina!
I'd love to. You guys always have phenomenal ideas for shoe makeups, and we can easily do this with Carmina. If we came up with a makeup model by early January, then it's totally realistic for us to have it delivered for the late Spring (probably mid April to mid May). Especially if it's suede or calfskin, as shell can be subject to delays from Horween. If you guys are into it, we can definitely take over the job of coordinating the logistics after everyone decides on the style
And the good part... we'd only need about 8 customers to commit to the style. It would be a 50% deposit up front, 50% upon delivery terms.

What does everyone think of a balmoral boot? Edited by NAMOR - 4/15/12 at 2:22am

The last of the Carver boot in a two or three eyelet plain toe made with the same caramel calfskin as the Salinger. Sort of a mash up of the Carver last, the Ashbery eyelets and the Salinger calfskin, but not a boot. Heck, the Ashbery color would be amazing.

1) Tan pebble grain three-eye chukka on Danite. Simpson or Rain.
- Would have grabbed these, but was already overpacked... also, it was 10/15, and the Occupy protest that day had Carmina closing early.

2) Single monk in dark brown calf. Inca.
- Ended up with the dark brown calf double monk on the Filadelphia, but these were a close second.

3) Wholecuts in saddle shell. I'm not as shell-happy as most here, but these were eye-catching in any last.

First off, huge thanks to NAMOR for starting this thread. We're really excited about the prospect of putting together some Carmina exclusives for Styleforum! It's great to see what a strong reception the shoes have received.

I'm open to whatever you guys want to make. Here's a few points from our side:

1. As stated, if we can get things finalized in early Jan, we should be able to get a mid-April to mid-May delivery.

2. We can work in calfskin, scotchgrain, suede, or shell cordovan. Available shell colors are generally: Saddle, Chestnut, Burgundy (like Color 8), Black, Dark Red, Loden, and Navy. Just like with Alden, Shell Cordovan makeups may be subject to delays - even up to a few months - as it's entirely dependent on the availability of the leather from Horween. The other leathers are all sourced from Europe and should be no problem to get within the planned timeframe. But if there's going to be a significant delay on the shell, I should be able to get a realistic estimated delivery window before collecting deposits.

Sole options are: Leather, Dainite, and Crepe. For edge finishing, we can have a natural edge, a medium brown edge (I used that on most of our makeups), or a black edge.

3. As this is a custom order, it's totally possible for us to do things in extended sizes and widths. We can do narrows and wides. And I believe most lasts can be made from UK 6 through UK 12.5 (approx US 7 through US 13.5) without a problem.

4. Once the shoes are made up, they will be final sale. I understand that this can be concerning if you've never had the option to try on Carminas, but if you've worn Aldens, then the sizing equation that we have in our product description has proven to be very reliable, and it works for most customers. Carmina lasts have an excellent fit.

5. To start, I'd suggest doing two styles for a Spring delivery - with one being Shell Cordovan (if you guys want that) and one being a non-shell leather. Take it from me - the calf, suede, and scotchgrain that Carmina uses is awesome. It would be great to give everyone the option of two different leathers and price points.